Stern Algorithm

Arknights: 5S

Yeah, all I can do is nod in teary-eyed approval at seeing how far Ifrit has come. "Don't touch my daughters, you creepy old man!"

Scion: The Prophecy of Anani

Sara, Daughter of Aliya

Sara, Daughter of Aliya

________________________________________ Sara, Daughter of Aliya Female | 35 | Lorenzia (of Kaudian descent) Templar of Fire _______________________________________________ Can't believe they let someone of her...ilk become a templar. I wouldn't be surprised if another scion goes missing, sold to Kaudus, no doubt. ________________________________________

I find myself wondering why Incepta blessed Gaia with scions but not the other continents? Are not all humans Incepta's children? Do we not all need her guidance? Or are the people of Gaia favored among them? Apologies, it is uncouth of me to question Incepta's will. Minor Holy Sigil Location On the cheek Appearance Sara has dark skin, along with long, flowing, silky, raven hair. As a devotee of the church, she dresses modestly, somewhat hiding her figure and physique. Her face exudes a calm, motherly demeanor, but her eyes burn with a stern, critical inquisitiveness. She is tall, with wider shoulders than most women. Personality Sara is defined by the phrase 'hidden strength'. Initially, she appears quiet and demure, her time as a teacher at the orphanage having taught her patience and how to be gentle. But the cruelty she has seen living on the streets, mixed with the teachings of the church and what little of her homeland's tradition that she was able to glean from her mother have created within her a hard and decisive sense of justice. Though zealous, she is also curious and hungry for knowledge. As someone who never belonged, her heart questions and seeks answers. She finds comfort in scripture and devotion but seeks deeper truths that some might consider heretical, so she keeps these thoughts to herself. Though she has not had access to the best education, many have underestimated her intelligence due to preconceived notions of her 'people and culture'. Biography Sara's mother, Aliya, was seduced and trafficked from the Kaudus Empire into indentured servitude in Lorenzia by someone who she claimed to her dying breath was a noble, a noble who promised her a new life full of luxuries. Aliya even claimed several times that Sara's father was coming to visit, though he always met her mother behind closed doors, so Sara was never able to catch a glimpse of him. Aliya worked ahrd to support herself and her daughter, and implored Sara to focus on her education, ingraining in the child the fact that education was the only real means of social mobility for people like them. Eventually, Aliya took ill and passed quickly, and Sara registered herself at an orphanage that was run by the church. A large girl for her age, Sara found herself defending her fellow orphans from bullies, and as she grew older, this naturally led to her taking on a caretaker role for the younger children, as the orphanage was chronically understaffed. Since the orphanage was attached to the church, Sara simply followed the current trajectory of her life, and became a devotee of the church, cleaning, cooking, and doing laundry, while also becoming a teacher at the orphanage in order to support herself once she had surpassed the age that the orphanage was legally allowed to take care of her. This left her with little to no time to pursue higher education, and she doubted that she would ever save up enough to enroll into a Doumerc university, and even if she did, she knew the quality of her inner-city education was lacking. Ultimately, Sara was content serving the church and taking care of orphans like herself, perhaps she could give them the opportunities that seemed out of her reach. One day, as a young adult, Sara saw a noble picking on a commoner, and as the noble's wrath escalated to violence, Sara stepped in to stop him. Enraged at having been interrupted, the noble pulled out his blade. The commoner that Sara was defending happened to be pushing a cart full of supplies, and Sara grabbed from it a length of chain with which to defend herself from the noble's cold steel. Underestimating her prowess, the noble was disarmed, at which point, Sara wrapped the chain around her fist and soundly beat the noble. A passing knight witnessed the incident and investigated the issue, ultimately siding with Sara and chastising the noble. Despite her age, the knight saw her late-blooming talent, and after learning that she was a devotee of the church, invited her to become a page. Sara accepted, and throughout her training, demonstrated exemplary loyalty, devotion, single-minded dedication, strength that belied her appearance, a softness where mercy was concerned, and a hardness where justice was required. After becoming a knight, Sara was assigned to wilderness patrol, which became a unique learning opportunity for her, having lived in the city her whole life. Sara earned a reputation for ferocity, donning heavy armor in order to take the full brunt of a charging monster's assault and using chains to subdue the creature, allowing her comrades an easier time to take it down. When asked how she learned to wrangle such unpredictable and dangerous creatures, Sara would joke that she had been a teacher. After a few years of proving her mettle in the wilds, the knight who had recruited her recommended her to become a templar, and soon after she was assigned to the Scion of Fire, Nikolai Gaumond. As a templar, Sara became celebrity-adjacent, and a celebrity in her own right. The attention was new to her, but neither did she run from it, nor was she swayed by it. Throughout public appearances, Sara maintained professionalism and modesty, reminding herself and others that her fame came only due to her proximity to Nikolai, who was the real 'star of the show'. However, the noble she had thrashed so many years ago recognized her on television and sought to ruin her. Digging into her past, he discovered that Sara was the bastard daughter of a Kaudian mother and maliciously spread this information. When confronted about it, though Sara held no loyalty to Kaudus, she did not deny her heritage, believing that truth and honesty were virtues. Fortunately, Nikolai trusted her, as did Commander Fyodor, and Sara was able to keep her position, though public appearances and social functions became colder and more hostile for her. Eventually, Nikolai passed from age, and Sara was put on standby until the next Scion of Fire was discovered. This didn't take long, though the news that the miracle had occurred at the Kaudian front filled Sara with misgivings. Though from a shaky and uncertain background, Sara has gone through life one step at a time, allowing the fate that Incepta has ordained for her to guide her. She seemingly never questioned the events that pushed her through life, taking everything in stride. However, it is not so much that she never questioned it, only that wherever she was and whatever she was doing, there was always something new to learn, and she was always content with that. As a Templar, she would be closest to the nearest thing to divinity, a post that satisfied both her zeal and her curiosity. Weapon of Choice Gauntlets and a chain. Misc. Combat Theme - Towerfierce Hider Sister of the Church Theme - The Love that Binds Us Hider The naming convention of Aliya's tribe does not use last names, they simply state that they are the son or daughter of the parent whose tribe they are a part of, hence Sara does not have a last name (this is loosely-based on ancient Arabic naming conventions). Sara's origin story is loosely inspired by the heroic outlaws from the Chinese novel Water Margin, who usually exact retribution on deserving nobles, only to become outcasts due to the corruption within the upper echelons of society. Sara, of course, does not become an outcast in this case. Sara's character is somewhat inspired by the character Carnelian from the gatcha game Arknights, who is a displaced tribal cloaked in noble refinement. Sara wears a sword at her hip, mostly out of ceremony. She knows how to use it, though it is not her preferred weapon. Sara still keeps in touch with the orphanage and often flips through pictures of the children that they send her. For the visual artists out there, I apologize for being a hack and using AI generated art.

Arknights: 5S

The conclusion of Lone Trail (and info about Endfield coming out) has me emotionally wrecked and is forcing me to slightly tweak some of the background for this RP.

Scion: The Prophecy of Anani

Sara, Daughter of Aliya

Sara, Daughter of Aliya

________________________________________ Sara, Daughter of Aliya Female | 35 | Lorenzia (of Kaudasian descent) Templar of ELEMENT HERE _______________________________________________ Can't believe they let someone of her...ilk become a templar. I wouldn't be surprised if another scion goes missing, sold to Kaudus, no doubt. ________________________________________

I find myself wondering why Incepta blessed Gaia with scions but not the other continents? Are not all humans Incepta's children? Do we not all need her guidance? Or are the people of Gaia favored among them? Apologies, it is uncouth of me to question Incepta's will. Minor Holy Sigil Location TBD (wherever my scion wishes for it to be placed) Appearance Sara has dark skin, along with long, flowing, silky, raven hair. As a devotee of the church, she dresses modestly, somewhat hiding her figure and physique. Her face exudes a calm, motherly demeanor, but her eyes burn with a stern, critical inquisitiveness. She is tall, with wider shoulders than most women. Personality Sara is defined by the phrase 'hidden strength'. Initially, she appears quiet and demure, her time as a teacher at the orphanage having taught her patience and how to be gentle. But the cruelty she has seen living on the streets, mixed with the teachings of the church and what little of her homeland's tradition that she was able to glean from her mother have created within her a hard and decisive sense of justice. Though zealous, she is also curious and hungry for knowledge. As someone who never belonged, her heart questions and seeks answers. She finds comfort in scripture and devotion but seeks deeper truths that some might consider heretical, so she keeps these thoughts to herself. Though she has not had access to the best education, many have underestimated her intelligence due to preconceived notions of her 'people and culture'. Biography Sara's mother, Aliya, was seduced and trafficked from the Kaudus Empire into indentured servitude in Lorenzia by someone who she claimed to her dying breath was a noble, a noble who promised her a new life full of luxuries. Aliya even claimed several times that Sara's father was coming to visit, though he always met her mother behind closed doors, so Sara was never able to catch a glimpse of him. Aliya worked ahrd to support herself and her daughter, and implored Sara to focus on her education, ingraining in the child the fact that education was the only real means of social mobility for people like them. Eventually, Aliya took ill and passed quickly, and Sara registered herself at an orphanage that was run by the church. A large girl for her age, Sara found herself defending her fellow orphans from bullies, and as she grew older, this naturally led to her taking on a caretaker role for the younger children, as the orphanage was chronically understaffed. Since the orphanage was attached to the church, Sara simply followed the current trajectory of her life, and became a devotee of the church, cleaning, cooking, and doing laundry, while also becoming a teacher at the orphanage in order to support herself once she had surpassed the age that the orphanage was legally allowed to take care of her. This left her with little to no time to pursue higher education, and she doubted that she would ever save up enough to enroll into a Doumerc university, and even if she did, she knew the quality of her inner-city education was lacking. Ultimately, Sara was content serving the church and taking care of orphans like herself, perhaps she could give them the opportunities that seemed out of her reach. One day, as a young adult, Sara saw a noble picking on a commoner, and as the noble's wrath escalated to violence, Sara stepped in to stop him. Enraged at having been interrupted, the noble pulled out his blade. The commoner that Sara was defending happened to be pushing a cart full of supplies, and Sara grabbed from it a length of chain with which to defend herself from the noble's cold steel. Underestimating her prowess, the noble was disarmed, at which point, Sara wrapped the chain around her fist and soundly beat the noble. A passing knight witnessed the incident and investigated the issue, ultimately siding with Sara and chastising the noble. Despite her age, the knight saw her late-blooming talent, and after learning that she was a devotee of the church, invited her to become a page. Sara accepted, and throughout her training, demonstrated exemplary loyalty, devotion, single-minded dedication, strength that belied her appearance, a softness where mercy was concerned, and a hardness where justice was required. Eventually, the knight who had recruited her recommended her to become a Templar. Though from a shaky and uncertain background, Sara has gone through life one step at a time, allowing the fate that Incepta has ordained for her to guide her. She seemingly never questioned the events that pushed her through life, taking everything in stride. However, it is not so much that she never questioned it, only that wherever she was and whatever she was doing, there was always something new to learn, and she was always content with that. As a Templar, she would be closest to the nearest thing to divinity, a post that satisfied both her zeal and her curiosity. Weapon of Choice Gauntlets and a chain. Misc. Combat Theme - Towerfierce Hider Sister of the Church Theme - The Love that Binds Us Hider The naming convention of Aliya's tribe does not use last names, they simply state that they are the son or daughter of the parent whose tribe they are a part of, hence Sara does not have a last name (this is loosely-based on ancient Arabic naming conventions). Sara's origin story is loosely inspired by the heroic outlaws from the Chinese novel Water Margin, who usually exact retribution on deserving nobles, only to become outcasts due to the corruption within the upper echelons of society. Sara, of course, does not become an outcast in this case. Sara's character is somewhat inspired by the character Carnelian from the gatcha game Arknights, who is a displaced tribal cloaked in noble refinement. Sara wears a sword at her hip, mostly out of ceremony. She knows how to use it, though it is not her preferred weapon. For the visual artists out there, I apologize for being a hack and using AI generated art.

Scion: The Prophecy of Anani [Interest Check]

@Herald

Don't have time to write up a CS just yet, but I think I'm gonna call dibs for Scion of Lightning.

Arknights: 5S

@Lemons I'm sorry to hear that you injured your hand. No worries about posting, take your time to heal.

I did want to reiterate, and this goes for you too, @Nanolyte, if you want your characters to do something, but don't feel that there is enough for them to react to to write a full post on, you can simply tell me in OOC what you want them to do, and I can just write another post to provide more context or description or whatever.

Arknights: 5S

Minimalist being useful: unprecedented.

Given that this was a short post, if y'all want to just go to the main gate, I can make another post to move things along and describe what you see there so you can have more to react to. But if you don't want to go to the main gate right now, that's fine too.

Arknights: 5S

Sargon - Hisn-ul-Zahra City Plate - Bazaar - Early afternoon

Baltasar looked from Ash Girl to Seven, his eyes widening when she casually mentioned bribery. "Th-the Lady Ameera keeps everything on the up-and-up," Baltasar stammered while he protested, not just a little offended at Seven's casual criticism of Sargonian ethics.

"Well," Minimalist chimed in, holding one of his drones to his face so the propellers could act as a fan to cool himself off, "Hisn-ul-Zahra's recent prosperity is thanks in no small part to Rhodes Island and Acahualla." Minimalist had returned to Acahualla on occasion as his people, the Durin of Zeruertza, lived there amongst the Archosauria since their evacuation from the underground city several years ago. He had been considered both a 'representative' for his folk and a liaison from Rhodes Island, so he had been roped into trade talks with Hisn-ul-Zahra. "Though Rhodes Island, on paper, only acts as an oripathy pharmacy and clinic, there are clauses in our agreement with the city that allow us to get involved with 'issues of security', especially where infected are concerned, so we could probably make a case with the main gate that we're looking for an infected child, and there may be other nations involved."

Arknights: 5S

@Nanolyte

Hi, I just wanted to check in and make sure everything is okay.

The Stars Cast Down Their Cold Gaze

Glossary of Terms:

• CETM - The Committee for Extraterrestrial Threat Management, created to combat the impending alien threat through the establishment of four projects.
• Project Olympian - The CETM project utilizing Hyperians.
• Project Titan - The CETM project utilizing space monsters.
• Project Colossus - The CETM project utilizing giant piloted robots.
• Project Myrmidon - The CETM project utilizing existing military, intended to support the other projects.
• Space Monsters - Alternately known as 'kaijuu', 'aliens', or simply 'monsters'. Refers to the gigantic extraterrestrial entities that have begun attacking Earth. Conventional force does little against them, and the repeated use of nuclear weapons is not a viable strategy.
• Hyperians - A species of seemingly benevolent space monsters. So far, two have been encountered, dubbed Hyper Man and Hyper Man X. The first Hyperian, Hyper Man, has defended Earth from space monsters, giving humanity time to prepare our own defenses. Hyper Man X arrived later to continue Hyper Man's mission.
• Tachyon Beacon - Meta-Tokyo's greatest defense. Our scientists have learned to harness time itself thanks to study of Hyperian technology. A grid of tachyon beacons are set up throughout the city. Each beacon covers a sphere ten kilometers in diameter. When active, everything in range is put into a tachyon bubble that lasts fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes the tachyon bubble collapses, and everything that happened within reverts to its original state fifteen minutes ago before the bubble was created. This allows CETM combatants, to fight without worry of damaging infrastructure or harming civilians, as all damage will be reverted when the fight ends. The only caveat being that the fight must be ended within fifteen minutes since the tachyon beacon cannot be reactivated for another hour and all damage that occurs after the bubble has collapsed will be permanent. Combatants must also not leave the area as only one beacon can be active at a time, and the whole grid needs an hour to recharge.
• The Central Dogma of Xenoarcheology - ██████████████████

Public Timeline of Major Events Concerning CETM:

• 2095 C.E. - An enormous alien vessel is discovered, hidden deep within the Mariana Trench. Research on it begins immediately as mankind attempts to reverse engineer the technology and decipher the language. The aliens to which the vessel belongs are named 'Hyperians' by the researchers. A preliminary study reveals that Hyperians seek out budding civilizations in order to protect them from 'ravenous' threats, and that this vessel and its 'inhabitant' were sent to Earth thousands of years ago to protect us.
• 2100 C.E. - At the turn of the century, a sealed chamber within the vessel is finally opened. Inside, the inhabitant, Hyper Man, is discovered, having locked himself in the chamber alongside a 'space monster', the Vega Alien, to prevent its escape. Surprised at the chamber door opening, Hyper Man is dealt a mortal blow by the monster, who proceeds to leave the vessel and head eastward, wreaking havoc on the surface. Weakened, Hyper Man explains that he requires the life force of a 'pure-hearted' human in order to reinvigorate himself and finally end the Vega Alien once and for all. One of the children of the research team, Shigeru Kawakami, volunteers and merges with Hyper Man. Hyper Man leaves the vessel and destroys the Vega Alien but not before it has devastated two United States' cities, Los Angeles and San Diego.
• 2101 C.E. - In the aftermath of the first extraterrestrial incident, CETM is founded. With the knowledge and guidance of Hyper Man, the Hyperian Vessel is relocated to Tokyo, Japan.
• 2115 C.E. - In the intervening years, space monsters begin to attack regularly. Hyper Man explains that, during its escape, the Vega Alien destroyed the 'Civilization Dampener', a device in the Hyperian vessel that hides the presence of young civilizations from monsters, and that the device can no longer be repaired. Fortunately, the invading monsters are aware of Hyper Man's presence and are drawn to him, allowing humanity to choose where Hyper Man is to engage these creatures. With this knowledge, Tokyo is transformed into the fortress of Meta-Tokyo, the site of extraterrestrial research, the headquarters of CETM, and the battleground for all subsequent fights with space monsters.
• 2116 C.E. - The second Hyperian, Hyper Man X, arrives on Earth to check on the status of Hyper Man's mission. The Hyperians have a secret meeting in the vessel and Hyper Man X agrees to swap places with Hyper Man, allowing Hyper Man to return to their 'home' to recuperate.
• 2120 C.E., Present Day - Hyper Man X has protected Earth since, but CETM is finally ready to unveil the fruits of their research.